The Ones Left Behind
by Kristen3
Summary: Set immediately after "Brave New World." Amy has said goodbye to two of her children and their friends, but as she puts her youngest son to bed, she realizes that life goes on. One-shot.


**Author's Note: **This is just a short little scene that's been bugging me lately after repeated viewings of "Brave New World" on YouTube. It was difficult to judge how old Josh is supposed to be, since they "magically aged" him, so I just took a guess and went with that. I hope I did justice to one of the best finales I've ever seen. :)

Amy Matthews took a deep breath. She'd done her fair share of crying today, and she was certain to go through a few more tissues before it was over. But she couldn't cry right now. Cory, Shawn, and Eric might have left, but Morgan and Joshua were still here. Even though Josh had been a surprise, Amy was grateful for him. After his rough start in the NICU, the whole family seemed to hug Josh just a little bit tighter. Everyone knew it was a miracle he was even here at all.

But beyond that, Amy was grateful that the house wouldn't be quite as empty as it otherwise might. She'd spent the last twenty or so years raising children, and the idea of her and Alan being left here all alone was heartbreaking. She was glad there would be many more first crushes, baseball games, and birthday parties in her future.

She put on the best smile she could muster as she walked into Josh's room to tuck him into bed. He slept in what had once been Cory and Eric's room, but right now, there were pictures of Disney characters and construction vehicles on the wall, rather than athletes or supermodels. For a moment, Amy wasn't sure she could do this. A thousand memories of her two sons flooded her mind. They had once been little boys, but now they were men. Cory was married now, and ready to make his own life. Eric went at a much slower pace, but he had grown up quite a bit, too. And there was also Shawn. Despite all of his mistakes over the years, he'd turned into a fine young man. Amy knew she and Alan couldn't love him more if he were their own son.

"Well, are you ready for bed, young man?"

Josh nodded enthusiastically. Her three-year-old wasn't much of a talker yet, but it was clear that he looked up to both of his brothers, especially Cory. "You're going to miss your brothers, aren't you?"

Another nod. Josh looked ready to cry.

Amy bent to kiss his forehead. "I know, sweetheart. I miss them, too. But they'll be back for Thanksgiving and Christmas. And in the meantime, you're going to start preschool soon. You're going to meet a bunch of new friends." For a moment, Amy thought back to when Cory was this age. It wasn't long before he'd met Topanga on the monkey bars. No one knew it then, but the two had been meant for each other from the start. Amy knew she hadn't always been supportive of her son being so close to one girl at such a young age. But love was a powerful thing, and in the end, she'd given them her blessing.

"Mommy, don't cry." Josh reached up to wipe away a tear.

Those simple words from her son made Amy's eyes well up even more. She knew she had to get out of here fast, before she completely broke down. She took yet another deep breath. _Focus on Josh_, she reminded herself. If things had gone differently in that hospital, she could be facing one loss on top of another right now. That thought gave her a little more strength. "I'm so glad I still have you and Morgan," she whispered to him.

Josh grinned proudly. He definitely enjoyed being the baby of the family.

For a long moment, Amy was too caught up in her memories to speak. "Well, it's been a long day for all of us, so I guess you'd better get some sleep," she finally said. She kissed him once more. "You're going to grow up so fast. And I just want you to know that no matter what you do, or how many mistakes you make, your dad and I will always love you and be proud of you."

Josh sat up, putting his tiny arms around Amy's neck. "Night, Mommy. Love you."

Amy knew that part of her would always be in New York, with Cory and his friends. She would never stop worrying about them. But she couldn't lose sight of the fact that she still had a job to do here. She had worked hard to make sure that Eric and Cory knew right from wrong, so that they could one day go out into the world on their own. Some day, it would be Josh's turn, and she wanted him to be ready. It might not be easy, doing it all over again. There were bound to be difficulties along the way. But, somehow, she knew everything would be OK. Josh's eyes had begun to close, so Amy got up from the bed and went to turn out the night.

"Love you, too," she whispered. She would just have to keep saying those words every chance she got.

**The End**


End file.
